The United States has reached a critical point in its demand for essential materials. This urgency is now formalized in policy. On July 20, 2026, Executive Order 14415 was signed, emphasizing that America can no longer risk supply chains vulnerable to physical disruption, cyber threats, economic pressure, or reliance on geopolitical rivals. From January 1, 2027, the Department of War will limit waivers for acquiring materials sourced from adversaries, while defense and aerospace contractors must trace components and materials to their raw-material origins.
This order focuses on the interconnectedness of national security and commercial stability. These depend not only on the equipment used by the military but also on the critical materials necessary for production and maintenance. Currently, efforts are underway to rebuild shipyards and aerospace production lines that have declined over time. However, these endeavors still rely heavily on materials purchased from strategic competitors.
America must address this challenge without sufficient hand-ins. According to Jamie Dimon at Senator Dave McCormick’s recent Defense and Innovation Summit, America’s industrial resurgence signifies a ‘reignition of its arsenal of democracy.’ JPMorgan has announced a $24 million package to support maritime businesses and workforce development. This highlights that military strength is intimately tied to economic strength, both crucial for sustaining a free and democratic world.
The production means of the 21st century involve not only factories, capital, and labor but also materials like copper and rare earths. Advanced nations must control the material foundations of their future to maintain economic strength, technology competitiveness, and military security.
The successful build of an arsenal demands physical materials, as artificial intelligence cannot produce raw materials. While software can be scaled quickly, minerals must be extracted, recovered, and refined. This brings forth both a difficult reality and a substantial opportunity.
“In our homes, old, unused devices contain copper, aluminum, gold, silver, palladium, and rare earth elements. Designated as trash, these are in fact national treasures.”
The U.S. currently relies on fragile foreign supply chains for minerals crucial to AI, advanced manufacturing, energy transition, and national defense. China is dominant in global rare earth refining, accounting for about 90% and leading in 19 of 20 strategic minerals. When exports were restricted in 2025, the impact on production lines was immediate and significant.
Rebuilding American mines is crucial, yet mining alone can’t meet the surging demand nor can the country wait decades for new production. The swiftest path involves recovering valuable materials from discarded electronics, bolstering domestic mining and cutting dependence on competitors.
Collecting and refining materials from old electronics can create jobs, fortify manufacturing, and reduce reliance on rivals. Urban mining is not merely an environmental measure; it strategically transforms American waste into valuable supply, thus ensuring economic resilience and national security.
Without these essential materials, the industrial and commercial revival remains an unfulfilled ambition. In electronics recycling, a glaring reality arises: ERI processes over a million pounds of electronics daily, yet a large proportion remains outside the recycling system. Though technology improves safe and efficient mineral recovery, devices must be collected first.
A major hurdle is public concern over data security. Enhancing trust in secure data destruction is vital for boosting responsible electronics recycling, alongside advancing recovery technologies.
This challenge resonates globally, with around 62 million tonnes of e-waste produced in 2022, and only 22% recycled responsibly. The rest signifies a loss America can ill afford.
A bold American policy is needed, what could be termed a ‘Green Fence,’ to prevent obsolete electronics from being shipped overseas without recovering critical materials. Exporting these devices means losing American resources, jobs, and resilience.
The technology to recover materials and reintegrate them into domestic supply chains exists. Proper recycling of the annual e-waste could yield billions of pounds of critical materials, bolstering American manufacturing and security.
The resources lie within the U.S. The opportunity awaits. America now needs the determination to retain these materials domestically.
About the Author: John Shegerian is Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO of ERI, the nation’s largest IT asset disposition and electronics recycling company. He promotes the circular economy, critical mineral recovery, and sustainable resource management, engaging technology, environmental stewardship, and public policy for over two decades.
Note: The views expressed are those of the author.